Machine for cleaning fibers.



No. 753,736. PATENTED MAR. l, 1904.

M. PRIETO.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING FIBERS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 3, 1903,

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

RRIS PETERS co PHQTO-LITHQ. WASHINGTON. 0 cv No. 753,736. PATENTBD MAR; 1,1904.

M. PRIETO.

MACHINE FOB CLEANING FIBERS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.-3,-1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

q/vdmwo ea Z Y Swank-oz %m $9m,. I k d m THE Noams PETERS co FmJTo-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, n. c,

Patented March 1, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

MANUEL PRIETO, OF MEXICO, MEXICO.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING FIBERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 753,736, d t d M h 1, 1904,

Application filed September 3, 1903; serial No. 171,765. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MANUEL PRIETo, a citizen of the Republic of Mexico, residing in the city of Mexico, in the Republic of Mexico, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Machines for Cleaning Fibers, of which the following is a specification.

The machine is intended more particularly for treating in a green state portions of plants having strong fibers extending lengthwise therein. It reduces to a broken and more or less pulped condition the outer covering and other material in the plant and removes it, leaving the fibers thoroughly cleaned. The plants on which my experiments have been made are a species of aloe, abundant in Central America, known as Aga/ve sisalz'enses.

I will describe the invention as applied to the treatment of the large and tough leaves of such plants. tion of the fibers of this and kindred plants have been previously made by myse'lf'and others, one of the earliest'examples being set forth in a patent to Demetrio Prieto, dated May 29, 1883, No. 278,668.

In my present invention I adopt the general form of machine proposed by the said Prieto in the patent issued to him dated February '17, 1891, No. 446,791. It has three sets of heaters. Each leaf is held near its mid-length and carried between two of the heaters, which simultaneously clean all of the leaf except a short portion where it is held, and by the continued motion of the same holding and feeding means the leaf which is now partially a strick of fiber is immediately afterward presented to other holding means which grasp one of its cleaned ends, (the butt-end.) The new carrier next moves with the material thus held and presents it to a third'heater, which treats the previously uncleaned part and also all except the small portion thus held near the butt-end. It leaves the fiber cleaned. I have introduced important improvements in the holding and carrying means.

Instead of chains or clamps I use wheels having teeth projecting radially and surfaces between the teeth grooved circumferentially and hold the material on such wheel by relatively stationary platens. The first feeding- Many efforts for the extracwheel and its platen perform their duties easily because the pull of the two heaters acting on opposite ends nearly neutralize each other. The second carrier performs a more difficult role and requires a strong pressure to obtain a reliable hold on the fiber.

I effect the transition of the material from the first feeding-wheel and its platen to the second feeding-wheel and its platen by the aid of a moving guide in the form of a narrow belt of leather or other flexible material provided with teeth which engage and carry forward the material at the same rate as the wheels carry it arranged to hold up the cleaned butt-end of the strick. I allow for this narrow belt in spacing the wheels apart. The belt carries the material horizontally across the angular space between the two feedingwheels.

The following is a description of what 1 consider the best means of carrying out the invention.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a plan view. Fig. 2 is an elevation, and Fig. 3 a front elevation at right angles to Fig. 2. The remaining figures show details detached. Fig. 4 is an edge view of the upper part of the first feed-wheel and a vertical section through the presser over it.

Fig. 5 is a side View, and Fig. 6 a plan view,

of the guide-belt and its operating means.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where they appear.

A is the fixed framing, of cast-iron or other suitable material. B is a stout stronglydriven shaft running in hearings therein and carrying a drum B, with heaters B C is a shaft arranged parallel thereto and which maybe in all respects similar, except that it and its drum C and heaters C are arranged to revolve inthe opposite direction. These sets of heaters B and 0 act simultaneously on the two ends of each leaf as it is carried past them by mechanism which will be described helow.

D is a third shaft correspondingly driven and ,carrying a drum 1), with heaters D which act on thematerial after the leaves 100 have been partly reduced to a strick of fiber and complete the cleaning operation. There are beds A in the framing, against which the respective beaters B C and D work in the ordinary and long-approved manner to effect the cleaning of the fibers in the several leaves as they are moved through the sphere of in fiuence of the several beaters.

E E are a series of endless aprons of leather or other suitable material running slowly over pulleys. The leaves are laid on these by the attendant and are thus slowly fed to the first feed-wheel and its closely-fitting platen in the required position substantially parallel to the axis.

G is a shaft carried in bearings in the framing. It is mounted alittle below and extends at right angles to the shaftsB and C. On this shaft is mounted the first feed-wheel, Gr, receiving motion through a worm-wheel G keyed on the same axis and receiving motion through a worm H, carried on a shaft H and turned by a belt (not shown) running on a pulley.

A is a platen pressing strongly upon the wheel G on its upper side. It may be considered as practically a portion of the fixed framing, although it is capable of yielding slightly by the action of stout springs A adjusted by screws A.

The periphery of the wheel G is grooved circumferentially, as indicated by g, and the adjacent surface of the platen A is formed to match. The hollowed and grooved under surface of the platen is made smooth to allow the leaves to be traversed along under a strong pressure with the motion of the wheel. The wheel at each edge is formed with teeth radially extended and pointed, as indicated by G (See Fig. 4..) When a leaf is received in the proper transverse position between the wheel and the platen, the teeth G either puncture it or lie close to it, so that as the wheel revolves the teeth insure that the leaf shall move with it. Each end of the platen is curled up a little to receive and discharge the leaf easily; but the body of the platen bears continuouslv and strongly on the wheel during the whole passage between the first sets of beaters, B and G which act on the leaf to clean each end.

O is the shaft of the second feed-wheel, having firmly fixed thereon a feed-wheel O and a worm-wheel O This wheel receives its motion in the same manner from a second worm H on the worm-shaft H and may be in all respects similar to the corresponding parts which perform the first feeding operation. The platen A, which presses on the second feedwheel, O, matches thereto in the same manner as the first platen, A matches to the wheel Gr; but the springs should be adjusted to exert more pressure. In the action of the machine each leaf, after having been carried by the first feed-wheel, G, under the first platen, A and treated by the first sets of heaters, B 0 is carried by the second feed-wheel, O, under the second platen, A, being held by its previouslytreated butt-end, and all the remainder of the leaf, including especially the nearly midlength portion, which had been previously held and left untreated, is now thoroughly cleaned by the third set of heaters, D". After passing this second ordeal the fiber is delivered in a cleaned condition and may be taken away.

My experiments indicate that it is possible to transfer the partially-treatedmaterial directly from the first feed-wheel to the second without any intermediate parts; but I prefer to introduce an intermediate guide, which facilitates the operation and greatly reduces the liability to entanglement and waste. Instead of arranging the two feed-wheels G and O immediately adjacent to each other and almost or quite in contact I arrange them a sufiicient distance apart and run between them a narrow belt I, of leather or analogous material, carrying teeth I, which may be of hard wood or metal. This belt traverses continuously at the same rate as the peripheries of the feedwheels G and O. This belt receives each leaf after it has been treated by the first pair of heaters, B O and conveys it horizontally across from the first feed-wheel, G, to the second feedwheel, O. The belt I, with its teeth I, receives the butts of the leaves now partially reduced to fiber and insures their properly moving forward across the V-shaped space between the upper portions of the two feedwheels.

The belt I is stretched between two pulleys J J, carried on short idle shafts J, supported in fixed bearings in the required positions. These determine the oblong path described by the belt. The latter receives motion from an intermediate wheel M provided with teeth M which engage in holes in the belt. This wheel is mounted on a shaft M, which is supported in fixed bearings and is driven through a gear-wheel M, keyed thereon.

On the shaft O of the second feed-wheel (they may be made in one with the second feedwheel O) is a complete series of gear-teeth O, which perform the easy task of giving the re: quired gentle motion to the belt.

L is a short shaft mounted in fixed bearings on which are fixed two gear-wheels L and L The gear-wheel L engages with the gears O and the gear-wheel L engages with the gearwheel M. The sizes of these wheels should be rightly proportioned to give the belt I a motion corresponding to the peripheral motion of the feed-wheels.

I introduce simple guide-wires A in positions to aid the fiber and the untreated portions of the several leaves in being received properly on the belt I. (See Figs. 5 and 6.) They are shown as supported above the path of the leaves by being coiled around two fixed IIO pins A A set in any adjacent fixed part and pressing elastically down, and I use also a curved wire similarly marked and held below the path of the leaves and adapted to hold the free ends of the material gently upward.

Modifications may be made without departing from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of the invention. The feed-wheels and their platens may be wider or even somewhat narrower than shown. The holes c' in the belt I may be bushed with metal to increase the durability of the belt. The teeth M which by engaging in the holes '21 aid in insuring the coincidence of movement of the partiallytreated leaf with the belt, may be reduced in length and thickness. A greater or less number of the guiding-wires A, set and bent as required, may be used to aid in receiving the halfcleaned leaf correctly on the belt, or these adjuncts may be omitted entirely with some ma terial.

Other means than the gearing O L L may be employed for giving the required moderate continuous motion to the belt I.

material through the early stage and another feed-wheel and platen arranged to automatically receive and to feed the material through the later stage, all substantially as herein specified.

2. In a machine for cleaning fibers of tropical plants, having two sets of beaters acting at one period to commence and one set acting at a later period to complete. the treatment, a feed-wheel and platen arranged to feed the material through the early stage and another feed-wheel and platen arranged to automatically receive and to feed the material through the later stage, andmeans, as the guidingbelt I, arranged to aid in transferring the material from one feed-wheel and platen to the other feed-wheel and platen, combined substantially as herein specified.

3. In a machine for cleaning fibers of tropical plants, having two sets of beaters acting at one period to commence and one set acting at a later period to complete the treatment,a feed-wheel and platen arranged to feed the material through the early stage and another feed-wheel and platen arranged to automatically receive and to feed the material through the later stage, in combination with the yielding belt I having teeth I and holes-, and with the actuating-wheel M with teeth M the driving-gear O on the second feed-wheel O and connecting gearing for insuring the correct movementof such belt, substantially as herein specified.

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MANUEL PRIETO.

Witnesses:

G. LoUIs F. RoBINsoN, M. F. BOYLE. 

